Book 2 - Ch 2: The High Wizards Tower of Heartlund

A wizard's library, those were the only words that Rose needed to hear to understand Kali's offer. As she said it was a mutually beneficial situation. Artifacts like this though came at a cost and Rose wondered what that cost may be, but given the nature of the object she could not pass up on this prospect. Nothing in life was certain and you never got anywhere without taking a risk every now and again.

Rose's right eyebrow lifted when guests were mentioned. When she saw the mass of bodies shifting in the darkness charging for Heartlend her brows furrowed. A look of distaste spread as she uttered one hate filled word "Goblins...."

She looked at Kali and nodded her head. Her right hand reached for the warhammer she had brought with her hefting it onto her shoulder. Her left hand reached out and grasped Kali's. Moments later the sensation of being pulled through space and time gripped her. Her eyes remained closed fora moment as she steadied herself before opening them.

Tanjee heard the shouts coming from the battlements and knew something terrible was happening. She darted across the compound as fast as her legs would take her. All around her Knights and soldiers were rushing for the wall. Gideon rushed past her on his way and she cold see Tara coming as well.

”The Keep! It is being attacked again!”

She saw the look cross Tara’s face and she knew her friend was thinking the same thing she was. Hopefully, this wasn’t an all out assault by the Dark Forces that had somehow managed to regroup. As she got closer, Tanjee could see the arrows flying over the wall and skidded to a halt just in time as the arows began their descent and landed a few feet in front of her.

Gideon knew the women were unprotected and he saw the arrows as they made their way over the wall. Grabbing the closest thing he could, he ran back towards Tara and Tanjee. Tanjee had stopped but Tara was still charging head strong without realizing the danger she was in.

Tanjee yelled at Tara to get her to stop and when Tara did, she could see the arrows that made it over the wall headed for her. Suddenly Tara felt as though she’d been hit by a small boulder. The ground came up quickly behind her and the air was forced out of her lungs. The sound of some arrows hitting something wooden and solid filled her ears and when she blinked, she saw Gideon covering her and himself with what used to be a door. He was yelling at her and when Tara’s hearing returned, she could make out what he was saying.

”Tara? Are you alright?”

As Tara tried to get the air back in her lungs, she gasped for breath and nodded to Gideon. He quickly got up and looked to Tanjee.

”Watch her!”

Tanjee was by Tara’s side in a heartbeat and checking on her friend. Finally Tara’s breathing began to regulate and Tanjee gave her a nod.

”There now…..you are catching your breath now. But we have to move now, Tara. We need to find a place we can be safe in until the threat is over. Are you ready?”

Tanjee looked around and saw some of the wounded already making their way down the steps from the battlements. They weren’t terribly bad wounds but if untreated, they would certainly be deadly. She saw Nol and Kellan and could tell the Dragon, even in his Elven form, was not fairing very well. It brought to light just how vulnerable even these creatures were.

"NOL! Over this way!"

Rose and Kali were instantly transported to the large area behind the main gate to the city. Kali reached and touched the small of Roses back, feeling the Commander wobble slightly from the sensation of being transported. A small shock entered Roses spine and suddenly she felt her bodies equilibrium return and when she looked at Kali the young black robed wizard blinked, "It's not the kind of thing I can do often, but in an emergency it helps."

Rose nodded in thanks and spun on her heels, Kali watched as she began immediately commanding her troops. Turning Kali saw Nol, he was pale and she could tell, overheated, but he would be fine in time. She saw the large Knight carrying a door to protect Tanjee and the other woman who she didn't recognize... clearly things were already exciting. Turning in a swirl of black fabric Kali ascended the stairs of the outer wall and watched the horde of goblins running in. The arrow fire was slowing, indicating that they were planning on rushing the wall.

Giving a quick assessment of the area Kali could see that some unfinished sections were the creatures goal. The outer areas were fortified with wooden walls and small bunkers where archers could be positioned, but with the numbers coming in it would not be long before they managed to overwhelm the soldiers. To her right was one of the unfinished parts of the wall, Kali ran over and reached, picking up some loose stones that were at the end of the unfinished battlement. She pulled some black dust from her robes and rubbed it onto one of the stones and began to hiss spidery words of magic. The rock became enveloped in thick shadow that almost oozed like tar and she tossed the rock down into the breech. The instant the rock hit the ground the shadow poured out and filled in the gap like water being poured into a glass. One of the soldiers looked at her curiously and she spoke, "What are you looking at? Your enemies are over there!"

The man looked and saw the goblins still pouring in and then back to Kali, she was already gone. Moving across the area she made her way to Kellan, Nol, and the other two she didn't know. Kellan looked at her and spoke, "Who sent them? They wouldn't attack like this on their own!"

Kali looked at her and shook her head, "They are hill goblins, they server no master except the leader of the pack. Their attack is slightly above juvenile in it's strategy, they are doing nothing more than rushing the wall. My guess is they are savaging and looking for food, namely, humans."

She looked at Nol who was starting to regain some of his strength. Her eyes traced his face and she spoke, "Are you alright?" He nodded and spoke, "I will be fine, just over heated."

She nodded and turned to Kellan, "You will need to leave him, we have work to do."

Without another word she turned and began walking along the inside of the outer wall towards the southern most end of the courtyard.

As soon as Kellan was set down, Tanjee removed the rest of the arrow from her thigh. No warning, no allowing for the bracing of the removal of the shaft, she just reached over and yanked with all her strength. Kellan let out a scream of sheer pain and her right hand grabbed a hold of Nol’s shirt in a death grip. Blood poured from the wound but almost as quickly as Tanjee removed the arrow, she was in the process of healing it.

Laying the amulet of Mishakal on Kellan, she spoke softly the words of her Goddess and the wound healed in a matter of moments. By the time Kali arrived and checked on them, Kellan was pale but no longer in pain.

As Kali explained about the hill goblins, Kellan shuddered and made a face that let everyone know how she really felt about the horrid creatures. When kali told Kellan she would need to leave Nol because they had work to do, she glanced at Nol who nodded. She kissed his lips quickly before she sprinted to catch up with Kali.

”I’m beginning to think Heartlund is what should be moved…..”





As Kellan and Kali walked off, Tanjee looked over at Nol and narrowed her eyes slightly at him. He told Kali he was just overheated but Tanjee thought there might be more to it than that. Using her native language knowing he would understand it perfectly, she spoke to him.

”And the howl of pain I heard erupt from your maw a few minutes ago was nothing, I suppose?”

Seeing the way Tara looked at her, Tanjee smiled and thumbed at Nol. It was rude to talk in Elven when the woman didn't understand it, but Tanjee also didn't want others to know if Nol was hurt more than he appeared to be.

"I like to make sure he still knows how to speak to me in my native language. I am still not convinced Dragon's do not suffer memory loss after they reach a certain age."

She looked back at Nol with a more serious look on her face then, reverting back to her Elven language.

"Your sister would skin me alive if I did not aid you, Nol."

Nol looked up at Tanjee and when the ladies had left he lifted his arm, blood was on his leather armor. The arrow which had gone through his wing had left it's mark on his left arm. Tanjee would see the wound was superficial enough to justify his ignoring it, though he could see by the look on her face she was going to heal him whether he wanted her to or not, "It was of little consequence, just an arrow or two through the wing."



Kali moved quickly and when she got to the furthest tower in the northwest corner she climbed the steps, hearing Kellan follow behind her. When Kellan spoke of Heartlund needing to be moved Kali responded, "As soon as you find the ancient scroll that allows me to learn that spell you let me know."

She turned and there was a slight sparkle in the young wizards eyes but it was gone almost immediately as the seriousness of the situation was revealing itself again. Kali could hear Rose giving commands and the flaming balls of tar soaked ammunition were hissing through the sky and exploding on the ground all around the battlefield. Looking out Kali pointed, "They are concentrating on the main gate, see?"

Kellan would see that Kali was right, it was just a mass of bodies moving in a big push against the city. Kali looked at her, "It is only a matter of time before they overwhelm the city, we need to find the leader and kill him, without the leader they will scatter like dried leaves in the wind."

Kellan nodded in understanding but then looked at Kali with curious eyes. Kali half smiled and spoke, "I don't know how we find him either, the little turd is probably in the back of the horde somewhere grunting out orders. We'll have to flank them and move in from behind to see if we can find him."

Tanjee clucked her tongue and whispered something about stubborn males as she laid the amulet of Mishakal upon Nol. The light surrounded him and within seconds the wound was completely gone. Removing the amulet, she looked at him as she draped it around her neck once more.

”My lips are sealed.”

She looked across the compound to see what Kali and Kellan were doing. Her brows furrowed as she saw Kellan taking a bow and quiver of arrows.

”Why do I get the feeling that looks like trouble?”





Kellan caught Kali’s sense of humor for that brief moment but like the mage, she knew the severity of the situation called for them to concentrate on the matter at hand. As they reached the battlements and could see from that angle what was happening and Kali showed her what they were doing, Kellan furrowed her brows.

Turning her gaze to Kali as she suggested what needed to be done, she glanced back out at the attacking horde of goblins and tried to figure out where the leader was. She had a good idea the leader was in the rear barking out orders, assuming Goblin leaders were similar to human ones. She had just turned to look at Kali with the unspoken question when kali answered it verbally.

Looking around, Kellan picked up a bow, tested the string for good measure then grabbed the quiver of arrows next to it sliding it over her one shoulder. Looking over at Kali again, she nodded.

”Well then. Let’s see if we can flush the little bastard out and help put an end to this attack. I’ve already had enough of them.”

Kali nodded and she looked out over the wall, the goblins were concentrating on the gate and already they were crashing into the wall, attempting to climb it without any sort of siege device. Kali could see Rose on the battlement firing her bow and giving orders of where to concentrate fire. As she looked out across the field and saw the treeline she spoke without turning to Kellan, "Why the hell is there never a Ranger around when you need one."

She reached into her pouch and removed a small handful of powder that smelled like new fallen snow. It was dark grey (at least it looked dark grey in the light of the torches) and Kali rubbed it between her palms. She turned and looked at Kellan, "bow your head towards me."

Kellan looked slightly apprehensive not knowing what was coming but she complied and Kali rubbed the powder in her hair. There was a slight tingling sensation and Kali withdrew her hands, repeating the process on her own head. She looked at Kellan, "Have you ever been invisible?"

The flashed her charismatic, crooked smile and began to hiss words of magic, the world seemed to turn to fog around them and then things returned to normal. Kellan looked at Kali and could see right through her, but the outline of her was clear. Kali leaned in and whispered, "They will still be able to hear us, but not see us. I will speak to you in missive, I would suggest caution in responding with anything other than visual hand gestures or the like."

She reached and took Kellan's hand, after whispering more words of magic she pulled Kellan and they floated down to the ground under Kali's featherfall spell. Kali looked at Kellan and nodded before running in a full sprint towards the forest edge.

While Kellan trusted Kali, for the most part, she was still leery of the mage. It was an unfortunate matter of fact from so many years of being suspicious of magic users. She couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive when it came to Kali. Nol had stated several times Kali would do what was good for Kali and there wasn’t anyone she really ‘needed’ other than for whatever purpose they could provide for her. Kellan felt, deep in her heart, Kali wouldn’t do anything malicious to her or anyone in Heartlund. What worried her was the fact kali had no trouble with collateral damage.

Still, Kellan put her faith in Kali and as she felt the tingling sensation after Kali rubbed the substance on her hair and cast the spell, Kellan looked over at Kali as the spell took hold. She took a moment to look at herself before looking back at Kali as she heard the mage whisper to her. Understanding the importance of what Kali told her, she nodded.

When kali pulled her from the wall, Kellan was familiar with the featherfall spell. After all, it had been used on her a few times during training with Arvandor and the others. Reassuring Kali all was good to go, she sprinted alongside the mage as they made a bee line for the edge of the forest.

As the ran, Kellan looked around to see if she could recognize the leader of the goblin horde. Unfortunately, they all looked alike to her. It wasn’t until she began to notice a few subtle differences in the attire they wore that Kellan saw the similarity in the goblin forces and those of humans. They really weren’t that different in this aspect.

Kellan found she wanted to lash out at the murdering pack as she ran by but she dared not. She was on a mission and that mission had nothing to do with cutting down as many of the cannibalistic creatures as she could in the process. As her light brown eyes looked out across the goblin forces, she was amazed at how many there really were. No doubt they’d come out in full force thinking they’d be assured of victory.

Finally Kali pulled up and stopped as they reached the trees. Like Kali, Kellan scanned the bodies of the creatures to see which one fit the bill for leader of this horrible horde. Finally she saw something that caught her eyes and she tapped Kali’s shoulder, pointing to what she was seeing.

About 30 meters from where they were standing was a goblin that was slightly smaller than the others but he had quite a nasty looking club like hammer with nubs on the end of it that rested on the ground but he would l ift it from time to time to shake it threateningly at some of the other goblins. He had a strange helmet on his head and he was grunting and growling at the troops. His black, beady eyes were looking everywhere at once. There wasn’t any one place he seemed to be focused on. As another wave of goblins rushed forward, he grunted something and another group of goblins seemed to move to the left to flank the gate again.

As Kali glanced at Kellan, she nodded letting Kellan know they had possibly found their target. Kellan looked back at the little general and wanted nothing more than to take that hammer he wielded and smash his ugly little face in with it.

Kali looked as Kellan pointed the goblin out, she spoke to Kellan's mind, ~ "That might be him, it's hard to say if he is the leader or just a henchman. Goblins have a loose structure of leadership as well as little to no tactics, but he seems too far up in the thick of things to be the pack leader." ~

She studied him a moment and then looked over at Kellan. Shaking her head she indicated that she was unsure, ~ "We can take him out, they won't find us if you can do it with one shot. The only way to know is if the scatter or rally... unfortunately we risk really pissing them off if it's not the leader. I say go for it." ~

Kali reached forward and rubbed a liquid on the arrow with a small brush that smelled like moldy fish. Kellan wrinkled her nose and Kellan half smiled, ~ "Trust me, just make sure you hit him." ~

As Kellan pulled back and fired the bolt the two ladies watched. Kali held her breath until she heard the all too tell tale 'thunk' of the broad head sinking into flesh. The Goblin howled in pain as the others looked around and then spread out, assuming the arrow had come from the wall. As the wretch hit the ground he convulsed and spit a foamy green bile all over himself, his body began to decay almost instantly and shriveled up like a raisin. Kellan looked at Kali while snarling her nose as if to ask "what the heck did you put on that arrow?" Kali looked at her with a glance that suggested it was best if she didn't know.

The Goblins went into a rage at seeing their comrade die and they screamed in fury as the lines of troops moved forward in a massive surge. Kali looked at Kellan as she furrowed her brow and spoke again to her mind, ~ "I guess that answers that question." ~

Kali grabbed Kellan and gently tugged her to get her to move with her. They continued to walk along the outside of the horde line, making their way up along the backside of the cluster of goblins. Through the trees they could hear the metal of weapons being banged together and the flicker of the little devils torches.

Kellan’s aim was always good with the bow. What she had to rely on was the fact the goblin wouldn’t make any big, sudden movements to the left or right. Barring that, she was certain her shot would hit. And it did. As she watched the creature fall and decay before her eyes, she snarled her lip and looked at Kali thankful she didn’t know what the mage had put on her bolt.

When the little cretins went into the rage and Kellan heard Kali’s voice in her head, she was thinking the exact words Kali spoke. Great, Kellan thought, we still have to find the crazed brute in charge of these little bastards.

Following along with Kali, Kellan heard the sound of the metal weapons being banged together and the cluster of torches grow. The closer they got, Kellan began to hear grunts mixed with the weapons being banged together. Kellan furrowed her brows as she recognized the sound of a war chant when she heard one. She didn’t need to know the goblin language to understand that. Anyone who spent time in battle would recognize it instantly.

She didn’t think these creatures were that organized or disciplined enough to band together like this and attack so efficiently. The closer they got, Kellan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end in warning and she glanced around behind her as though she were being stalked by something just beyond what her eyes could see.

Her pace slowed to barely a crawl now. Something felt very wrong and her instincts told her to not go any further. While she didn’t have a clear view of what was just beyond the last line of trees ahead, she had a feeling if they moved forward anymore, they would somehow reveal themselves.

Reaching out and touching Kali’s shoulder, she shook her head when Kali turned back around to look at her. Kali frowned at Kellan and Kellan wasn’t sure if she was unhappy Kellan wasn’t willing to go further or if she was thinking along the same lines Kellan was. Exactly how could Kellan explain something like this to Kali? It was just a gut feeling she had and her gut was seldom wrong.

Kali looked at Kellan with furrowed brows, it was clear instantly that they were both thinking the same thing. Kali was stuck between her instincts and her motives, they had to kill the leader, but the sounds of chanting and the howl of furious goblins was grinding on her... they were up to something. She looked back at Kellan, "I know what you are thinking, I am thinking it too, but we have to move up and at least see what in the abyss they are doing."

Without another word she got on her belly and crawled silently up to the crest of a small rise. Her Elven blood made it easy to stay quiet but what she saw literally made her stomach churn. A goblin, dressed in bloody skin and animal furs was standing over a human woman who was spread eagle on an alter, her arms and legs were strapped down and the goblin standing above her was bringing up a massive stone knife. Several other bodies were strewn about, it looked like she was the last living of a family of five. The goblin hissed some words and thrust the knife deep into the woman's chest, she screamed and gurgled as the life left her and the goblin war chant rose high into the air. They all spun except for a dozen or so and rallied in a group towards Heartlund.

Kali inhaled deeply, controlling her anger, she was never big on shamanistic magic, especially shamanistic blood magic. In her mind it was foul and reminded her too much of the things Fifth used to do. She turned and saw that Kellan had followed her, the look of horror on her face matched that of Kali's. She was about to move in for a righteous kill and Kali grabbed her, shaking her head 'no'.

Reaching into her robes Kali removed a ball of bat guano mixed with sulfur. She rolled it tightly and spoke to Kellan's mind ~ "Be ready, and you might want to close your eyes." ~ Kali began to hiss the ancient words of magic, the sound was spidery and strange, and Kellan would feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Kali threw the ball that was in her hand and it erupted into a massive fireball. The goblin shaman roared and dove behind the makeshift alter just as the ball of fire erupted in a massive explosion engulfed the area and the entire contingency of guards were instantly incinerated. Several of the goblins that were in the back of the horde spun at the sound and erupted in angry cries when they saw the magic.

The goblin Shaman stood up from behind the now charred alter and began to call out, several of the goblins from the back of the horde began to run back to him for protection.

In all of her days, Kellan had not seen anything like this. Her blood turned ice cold in her veins and she felt her stomach lurch. It was all she could do to hold back from vomiting onto the ground. The scene was so horrific, Kellan’s eyes darted from one body to the next and finally to the woman that was still on the alter the goblin was using.

Blood covered the ground like a dark blanket. The smell of blood and death assaulted her nose and she saw the skin the goblin leader wore like some kind of strange trophy. It was all so surreal. And Kellan felt such an intense urge to kill at that very moment, it was all Kali could do to hold her back. Never had Kellan’s body trembled with such an anxiousness to take the life of another creature as it did right now.

As Kali brought out the substance from her robe, Kellan practically glared at her but it wasn’t intended for Kali. As Kali sent the object hurling towards the goblins, Kellan ducked her head to prevent her eyes from suffering the effect of the fireballs brightness. Kellan felt the intense heat from the fireball and as the sound of the agonized screams filled the air, Kellan lifted her head to see the bodies of several goblins incinerated. The smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils then and she felt some sense of justice for the slaughtered family. But the goblin leader still had to be dealt with.

As the leader surrounded himself with a living shield, Kellan gripped her bow tighter in her hand. She wanted to stand up and fire bolt after bolt at the sick creatures. She wanted to charge in there and slice through them with anything she could get her hands on. She wanted nothing more than to rip them apart with her bare hands.

She looked over at Kali and pointed at the goblin leader then to her bow. Gods how she wanted to avenge the family that lost their lives to these horrid creatures.

Kali could see it in Kellan's eyes, she wanted this kill. Kali's face twisted into a thin smile and she spoke to the Lady Knight's mind, ~ "Not so different after all... we both kill, even if for our own reasons..."~

She could see the look of displeasure in Kellan's face and she shrugged it off. Reaching into her robe she removed more of the foul smelling liquid and spread it on the broad head of Kellan's arrow. She spoke again to Kellan's mind, ~ "I will clear a path, you make your shot." ~

Kali stood and the air began to fill with the sound of her magic and the pull of energy, the goblins shifted, their eyes darting into the darkness as they heard Kali's voice. The Shaman clicked and spoke as the harsh, native language of the goblins penetrated the night air. From just inside the trees of the small meadow Kali lifted her hands and bolts of lightening erupted her her fingertips and tore through the bodies of the goblins in Kellan's way. She could have just as easily aimed for the Shaman himself, but she honored Kellan's wish, she only cleared the path for her.

Kellan heard Kali's words echo in her head and while she didn't want to acknowledge them, she knew they were right. As painful as that truth was for her to admit. It's just that Kellan had never looked at it like that before. In the past, she used her duty as a Knight to justify her killing. Now, there was just her need for vengeance for a family that couldn't exact their own.

And she would gladly deliver it for them.

As Kali stood and started chanting her words of magic, Kellan stood as well, notching her arrow onto hte bow string. Her eyes scanned the area around the Shaman. As Kali's spell erupted and the bodies of the Shaman's protectors were ripped apart, Kellan raised her bow, locked her left arm in place and pulled the string back with her right arm until she felt the feathers of the arrow brush against her cheek.

Drawig a bead on the Shaman, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When the air was gone from her lungs, Kellan relaxed her fingers and felt the string slide off her fingertips. The bow string snapped forward and sent the bolt towards the Shaman. The bolt hit him square in the chest and embedded so deeply, the very end of the broad tip began to protrude out his back.

Kellan watched as the goblin leaders eye went wide, bulged and he fell forward spewing more green foam from his mouth before he started to decay right before her eyes. As Kellan watched the creature die, she felt a hollow satisfaction fill her. She expected a greater sense of victory over her enemy but when it didn't come, she empty. Deep down, Kellan knew it was because she wanted to kill the goblin leader for her own reason and not the veiled reason of vengeance she had told herself.

She turned to look at the way the goblins started to scramble and run around like freshly killed chickens flopping around the butchers slaughter yard. She glanced at Kali then and locked gazes with the mage. Kali would know Kellan found little satisfaction in killing the goblin leader and the reason why. Kellan tore her gaze away from Kali's as she felt the rawness of the truth open like a knife wound once more. Kellan's voice was nothing but a whisper over the sound of the panicking goblins.

"Let's get back to the Keep. Our job here is done until they clear out."

Kali looked at Kellan and her thin smile remained. She spoke softly, just high enough to be heard over the sounds of the screaming goblins, "As I said earlier Lady Knight, what is evil? Is it still wrong it kill for the right reasons? Or is it simply wrong to kill no matter what the alignment of the creature? All life has a purpose, even the gods of evil send out their agents to do their bidding, but is that bidding truly for the purpose of adding to the evil on Ansalon or is it so the good have something to fight and balance can be maintained?"

Kellan turned to look at her, Kali could see the pain in the woman's eyes, that the death of an 'evil' creature was not as satisfactory as it should have been. Kali spoke, "I assure you, the goblin died for the right reason."

Kellan looked at Kali, what was the right reason?

Kali began to walk back to the Keep amongst the screams of the goblins all around the woods. They were scattering like a bunch of cockroaches and Kali spoke, "There won't be a need to prepare for them to return, I suspect it will be a long time before they forget my magic and your death delivering aim."

The compliment was almost back handed, as if Kali was putting it back in Kellan's face that she killed the Shaman.

Kellan snapped her head up and glared at the back of Kali's head. Why did it seem like the mage had just accused her of killing the creature for sport? And why did Kellan feel the need to defend herself against the implied accusation? It frustrated Kellan to no end. How could one being be so damned.....complicated yet so damn simple all at the same time? She knew if she tried to answer that question she would drive herself insane.

As they headed back to the Keep, Kellan remained silent. There was no0thing to talk about. She did what she had to do. Another decision she had made. By the Gods she wished Kali wasn't so damn intuitive. It just made it seem like she could look into Kellan's future like looking into some magical device that allowed her to see everything.

As the goblins scattered away around them, Kellan felt nothing but pity for them now when mere moments ago she felt nothing but hatred and wanted to eradicate them off the face of Krynn. Would she always feel this conflicted? Or was it something she would have to work through and come to peace with her decisions? Dammit....there it was again. Everything always came back to the decisions she made and would make.

By the time they got back tot he Keep, Kellan felt as though she had fought as hard as she did the day of the battle against the Dark Forces and other dragons when she returned to Heartlund. But her exhaustion wasn't so much physical now as it was mental and emotional. And the bow she carried in her left hand felt heavier than usual. And all she could think about was getting back to her quarters and taking a long, hot bath.

When the sounds of the goblins weren't in the air the only noise that could be heard was the soft rustling of Kali's black robes. The guard called out when the two ladies appeared from the trees and the gate was opened to let them in. Hundreds of dead goblin bodies littered the ground and Trystan ran up to them, "What happened? What did you do?"

Kali glanced at Trystan and gave a small smile, "We did what needed to be done."

Trystan furrowed his brow and looked at Kellan. She was sullen in the face and he furrowed his brow. Looking back at Kali he spoke, "No more riddles, what happened?"

Nol walked up as Trystan asked his question and gently touched Kellan on the small of the back. When she turned and dropped her bow to embrace him he looked at Trystan and then to Kali. Kali watched her display and then looked back to Trystan, "I don't need to divulge any more to you than I see fit Trystan. All you need to know is that when the duties of her station required action Lady Kellan performed with the efficiency of her hard training and without hesitation. She took the necessary actions to ensure the safety of Heartlund and it's citizens."

Trystan furrowed his brow and exhaled heavily, turning to Kellan he spoke, "I need to know what happened out there Lady Kellan, I order you to tell me what the two of you did to stop this horde."

Nol narrowed his eyes and looked hard at Trystan, his voice was low and serious, "No more questions tonight Sir Trystan."

Rose's voice cut through the night air as she descended from the battlements. "I would wager Sir Trystan that with the aid of Kali they took off the head of the serpent. Golbins do not attack en mass like this without a leader of some kind. I can see no other explanation for things such as they are and I will be satisfied with that until a formal report is given to me on the morrow."

Rose reached the bottom approaching the group focusing on Trysten "For the moment you have damage to assess, injured to tend, and dead to remove before they rot and pollute the very land.. All other matters are secondary for the time being."Rose stood with her arms behind her back looking to Nol and Kellan. "The Lady has a more pressing matter at hand as it is and I do not wish to keep her from her bed any longer than necessary for me to discuss it with her." She looked back to Trystan and he knew upon seeing her face the matter was not up to further debate.

Shifting to Kali Rose bowed her head with a half smile "I thank you for your assistance this night Kali. Contact me on the on the morrow at your leisure and we can further discuss some of the finer details of the future. Till then I must beg your pardon and excuse myself to handle a matter of some importance that is both personal and of the keep."

Rose then motioned for Kellan to follow as she twisted on her heel pausing a moment to look back. "I can say what I need to en route to your quarters Lady Kellan, and if you could join us as well Nol I have something I would like to say to you as well, if it is not an inconvenience that is."

It was all Kellan could do to prevent herself form dissolving into a heap of sobs when she turned and embraced Nol. The last thing she wanted right now was to explain her actions to anyone. Kali was right, she did what had to be done, but she questioned her own motives about the actual killing itself. While she knew the Shaman had to be destroyed, she looked back at the moments prior to her killing him and how desperately she actually WANTED to kill the creature. And to be perfectly honest with herself she wanted to kill him because she could.

Her embrace was tighter than usual and she hoped he didn’t find it too much to handle, but knowing Nol, he would find a way. It was one of the many reasons she loved him like she did. As Lady Rose approached and Kellan heard her voice cut through the growing tension, Kellan composed herself and turned to look at Lady Rose.

Kellan had never been so grateful in all her life as she was with the fact Lady Rose was not looking for an report tonight. At least in the morning, Kellan would be better fit to give her report. As Lady Rose turned and invited Kellan to go with her, she looked up at Nol with an almost panicked look on her face. When Rose invited him along as well, that look quickly changed.

Kellan turned and was just about to take a step to follow Rose when she stopped and turned back to Kali and Trystan.

”Thank you, Kali. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did.”

Kellan knew Kali would understand the message in the words. While Kellan was upset with herself, she knew she did the right thing in the end. Turning her gaze to Trystan’s, she spoke in an almost choked voice.

”There is a family who needs last rights and proper burial, Sir Trystan. You’ll find them just over the small rise in the trees. The scene is worse than anyone can imagine so prepare your troops.”

She turned and looked up at Nol once more and the pain in her gaze was unmistakable. And she didn’t try to hide it from him. Turning on her heel she walked away from the others and caught up with Rose holding Nol’s hand in an almost death like grip.

Nol remained silent and nodded as Rose extended her invitation to follow, "It is no inconvenience Ms. Rose."

Kali looked at Kellan and spoke in response to her words, "You are right, you would not have been able to do what you did this evening without my help."

Kellan looked at her with a curious glance but the group was moving and Nol was gently guiding her along to follow the rest of them. Kali merely smiled thinly as Kellan kept looking back at her. There was a strange gaze in Kali's eyes and she didn't break eye contact until Trystan spoke, "Rose ordered me off Kellan but not you Kali, what in Hades happened out there?!"

Kali turned and looked at him with a quirked brow, "A might bit aggressive tonight aren't we Sir Trystan of the Sword? I am under no obligation to you nor do you hold a shred of authority over me." He tightened his fists and inhaled deeply through his nose before continuing, "I have a report to give in the morning, I need to tell Commander Rose what happened out there."

Kali looked up at him and responded emotionlessly, "No, you have to report on what happened at your wall, not what happened out in the forest, that is the report that Lady Kellan has to deliver. I have already told you what happened, Lady Kellan did her duty to the upmost, she performed admirably and dutifully, keeping the code of the Knights to protect the land from evil."

Trystan grit his teeth and almost hissed his response, "There is something going on here... I know you well enough to see that you had something to do with this."

Kali's eyebrows lifted off her eyes and she looked at him bemused, "Are you suggesting that I unleashed a goblin horde to attack Heartlund?" Trystan furrowed his brows again and spoke, "I am not sure what I am suggesting, but my gut tells me this was not just some random, roving band of goblins that numbered in the thousands. We have patrols all over the place, a horde this size would have been spotted long before we were attacked."

Kali looked up at him and spoke softly, "Well, when you DO know what you are suggesting feel free to let me know."

She turned and took a few steps towards the main gate and then stopped, turning to look back at him, "I will be here at noon tomorrow, perhaps we can discuss your accusations some more then. For now I am tired and need to sleep. Good night Sir Trystan."

Trystan ground his teeth in frustration but quickly stuffed the matter aside so he could attend his duties. He knew they would be up most of the night attending to the wounded and seeing the goblin bodies burned. He went and found Tanjee, she was speaking to a man she had just healed and he waited until they were done before speaking to her, "Ms. Tanjee, if I might have a word with you?"

Tanjee smiled and stepped over to him. He looked at her and spoke, "How many are still wounded?"

Tanjee looked at him with an expression of relief and spoke, "Surprisingly there were only about a dozen injured during the fighting, and for the most part the wounds were relatively minor."

Trystan furrowed his brow slightly and nodded. She looked at him and touched his arm as she spoke, "Does it bother you that so few were injured?"

He looked at her and shook his head, "No, of course not, but doesn't it seem odd that we were outnumbered 30 or 40 to one and we killed hundreds while they didn't kill even one?"

Tanjee smiled and responded, "The gods shone upon us."

He pursed his lips and turned to look at the wall..., "Maybe." Turning to look back at her he smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your time Tanjee, and thank you for attending our wounded so diligently."

He turned and walked through the main gate, and out onto the field, already the soldiers were piling the bodies of the goblins and burning them. Trystan stared at the fires and his mind was reeling with questions.

Tanjee watched Trystan walk out the gate then she turned to watch Lady Rose, Nol and Lady Kellan walking the opposite direction. The business of Knights would forever confuse her. She was just glad the wounded weren’t as many as she feared. But Trystan’s words made her think. He had a point, indeed, but Tanjee still thought the Gods had shown upon the lot of them this night.

She looked over as Tara helped with the last of the wounded soldiers. The woman was an absolute gem to have around and Tanjee enjoyed her company more and more as she got to know the loner. She knew things were slowly blossoming between Gideon and Tara and she was glad the woman at least had someone.

And speaking of someone…..Tanjee hadn’t seen her brother or Ceridwyn in a while. She knew they were busy planning their nuptials and she couldn’t wait for the ceremony to take place. All of Silvanost was buzzing with the news. Even the Speaker of the Stars seemed to be a bit more relaxed and looking forward to the two making the lifelong commitment to each other. But Tanjee had things to finish up with here before she could think of returning to Silvanost jet yet.

Glancing at the retreating forms of Rose, Kellan and Nol once more, she glanced towards the gate and saw Trystan’s back disappearing as well. She looked to Tara and nodded her head towards the gate.

”Feel like moving closer to see if there are others who need out help?”

Tara glanced at the gate then at Tanjee and nodded. Tanjee knew she wanted to see if Gideon was alright and that was fine. As they moved closer to the gate, the smell of burning flesh assaulted their sense of smell and Tanjee wrinkled her nose. When she saw the bodies littered on the ground, she blinked. Sir Trystan was right. For all the dead the goblins suffered, the Knights took relatively no injuries at all.

The Gods must have really found favor on Heartlund this night. Perhaps, Tanjee thought, they thought Heartlund has suffered enough. Whatever their reason, Tanjee was thankful.